The sponge city principle as a response to more frequent heavy rainfall events

Due to climate change, more frequent heavy rainfall events and the associated flooding pose major challenges, especially for urban areas. The creation and preservation of green spaces is an important approach to meeting these challenges. Vegetation plays a crucial role in the retention and infiltration of surface water into the soil and is therefore an essential tool for sustainable water management.

In urban areas, however, there is often limited land available for the creation of new green spaces and existing green spaces are often not sufficiently adapted. To nevertheless store and utilise rainwater on site, technical vegetation systems such as building greenery and parks are used as a sponge city principle. These decentralised rainwater reservoirs not only improve the water balance, but also have a positive impact on the urban climate, biodiversity and quality of life in urban areas.